Lake Texoma Striper Fishing Blog

 Lake Texoma is such a magnificent fishery it never ceases to amaze me how quickly abundance is able to return following a dearth. Early in the spring we were having to go to other lakes to catch bait because there were very few to be found on Texoma and by June the stripers were becoming skinny due to the reduction of their food source. Fortunately this spring we also had a mini flood where the lake rose 10 ft. above normal and stayed that way for some time, this allowed the few shad remaining in the lake to have a most prosperous spawn while given plenty of cover in the flooded landscape. By July the hatch has become large enough to catch and use for bait which by then it had become unnecessary as lures had become the way to go. The fish have been gorging themselves on the abundance of food and all seem to have recovered nicely from their previously famished state. The striper have been feeding in large schools on the surface and the topwater action has been incredible which means lures have been the best way to catch fish here lately. 

This has been one of the best Augusts for fishing we have had in quite a while. Though there were a few slower days on weekends and after cold fronts, most of the month, day after day has been excellent fishing. We have been chasing topwater fish all over the lake using topwater lures, swim baits, and slabs. I like to be ready, with rods rigged to change it up between these 3 types of lures at a moments notice as the fish have been a bit fickle about what method they prefer at any given time. The schools of fish are on the move and we are having to chase them around the lake. As we are chasing them they might end up anywhere out in open water or up against the shoreline. I've been having good luck using swim baits when they are hitting up in the shallow water then I use topwater lures when they are hitting the surface in deep water. I like to use slabs when I see the fish piled up thick under the boat, especially along ledges.. Most of the stripers we are seeing on the surface are under 20” though we are still catching some nice fish that are mixed in with them up to 10 pounds. Having these smaller fish mixed in has made it easy to bring home a limit of fish Earlier in the spring a limit was hard to come by as all we could catch were the large fish over 20” which is a lot of fun but we are only allowed to keep 2 fish over 20” a piece out of our 10 fish limit per person. Recently, most of our weekday trips we have had we are able to catch a limit in the first couple of hours and spend the rest of the trip catching and releasing. The weekends tend to have a lot more pressure on the fish which makes the catching a little more of a challenge. Though sometimes the fish are biting so well that it doesn't matter, as a general rule, the fishing is best during weekdays so keep that in mind when planning your next trip.

Though this steady hot weather day after day is good to keep the fish in the same pattern, I am ready for fall. I'm expecting to keep catching fish on topwaters until around the end of October sometime when it starts cooling off. Right now we are catching mostly smaller fish on the surface but by late September through October, if the pattern holds, we should start catching big fish on topwaters. Those first good cold fronts of the season, the ones that come late September that drop the low into the 50's and it rains all day, will usually bring the big fish to the shallow water to enjoy the cooler temperatures brought in by the north wind. When this happens it makes for some excellent topwater fishing as they can't resist a big pencil popper thrown into the shallows. This is some exciting fishing and one of my favorite times of the year to fish. After the August we have had I would imagine that we are shaping up for some more excellent fishing this fall. Now is the time to book your trip. You can reserve your trip and find out more information online at our website www.stripersinc.com or give me a call at (903)815-1609 and I'll be happy to get you setup and answer any questions over the phone. We have open rates loosely based on the average you might expect when booking with another guide. I just ask that you give in return whatever you feel to be a fair price at the end of your trip as we never know what to expect from day to day as far as the fishing goes. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Your Lake Texoma Striper Fishing Guide,
Brian Prichard
Stripers Inc.
www.stripersinc.com

(903)815-1609